| "Friends" Original Soundtrack Recording | ||||
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| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 5 March 1971 | |||
| Recorded | September 1970 | |||
| Studio | Trident Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Film music, soft rock | |||
| Length | 37:51 | |||
| Label | Paramount | |||
| Producer | Gus Dudgeon | |||
| Elton John chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Friends | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |   [1] |
"Friends" Original Soundtrack Recording, released in 1971, is the fourth official album release by Elton John. It was a project John and Bernie Taupin took on before their breakout success in the US, and served as the soundtrack album for the Friends film released in the same year. It was certified Gold in April 1971 by the RIAA. It became John's third gold record in as many months in that market (following the albums Elton John in February and Tumbleweed Connection in March).[2] The title track was a minor hit in the US (#34 on the pop chart) despite the film's mediocre performance. The album also received a 1972 Grammy nomination for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special at the 14th Annual Grammy Awards.[3]
The rights to the soundtrack are now with Universal Music Group, which shares ownership of John's music with him, and which also owns the Paramount Records catalogue.
Apart from the original vinyl release in 1971, it has yet to be issued as a standalone CD, but the Friends soundtrack is available on the Rare Masters (1992) 2-CD set, tracks 10–19 on Disc One, albeit with the tracks in a different order to the original LP. The difference is that "Michelle's Song" changes places with "Honey Roll" and "Variations on Friends".
In the early 1970s, John performed the title track and "Can I Put You On" in concert, with the latter appearing on the next release, the live recording 17-11-70 (retitled 11-17-70 in North America). "Seasons Reprise" was heard on the The Wonder Years season 3 episode "Night Out" where Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) and Winnie Cooper (Danica McKellar) have their first kiss. The most recent performance of "Friends" was during the An Evening with Elton John tour in 1999.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "John, Elton". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. 2,003. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^ "Elton John's Gold & Platinum Albums". Neosoul.com. 28 August 2000. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
- ^ "Discography". Archived from the original on 11 May 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2017.